Some roles such as administrative, front line management and operational ones have more than a fair share of women, at 57% of women employees, 55% and 55%, respectively, shows the survey. There is a gap in representation in top-level management roles (49%). There is under-representation in roles involving science, technology, engineering and mathematics (53%) and mid-level management (53%), says the survey of 3,150 Indian employers.
“India’s gender diversity is among the best worldwide and it is encouraging to see women participation in the workforce increasing,” says Sandeep Gulati, Managing Director of ManpowerGroup India and Middle East. “Organisations have realigned their hiring strategies by mandating women hiring at every level across sectors.”
Key findings
Over half of the respondents say that trust and relationship building are critical to support the right recruitment and retention. The need to support employee wellbeing (57%) and recognise people for building a positive culture are the other important aspects (54%).As organisations evolve, there is a need to keep building on the learnings in this regard. 43% of the companies say that their leadership development programmes are helping include people from different backgrounds.
Over 80% of the employers say the power of technology in giving their teams greater flexibility. 70% also say AI tools are helping with recruitment free of gender bias.
Gulati says: “Technology has made flexibility possible and, coupled with specialised programmes, to bring back women with long professional breaks, all of which have greatly contributed to this trend.”
Areas of focus
There is still progress to be made on pay equity. While over half (58%) of respondents find that pay-equity initiatives are on schedule, 32% say these are behind schedule and 10% have no initiatives in this regard.
Some of the sectors that are ahead in this include information technology (65%), communications services (60%), and healthcare and life sciences (60%).
What companies can do
The report mentions that companies can create mentorship and sponsorship programmes for women but led by senior women executive allies.
Another interesting idea was to implement an internal AI-based talent marketplace that can match them to various opportunities.
The need for upskilling is only increasing, especially in technology roles. Hosting tech academies can help women develop high-demand digital fluencies, says the survey.
Other recommendations include keeping flexibility as one of the initiatives around return-to-office, giving caregiving benefits and offering hybrid or remote working options.
A broader inclusion agenda
Beyond just initiatives for women, there is a need to broaden and share specific focus on LGBTQ+ communities and their needs.
Anitha Sarathy, India Head, People & Culture, Encora, says, “As an industry, we are witnessing greater awareness and focus on DE&I as one of the pillars of tech hiring. I firmly believe that driving the diversity, equality and inclusion agenda is not just the right thing to do, but is also good for business. By bringing in diverse individuals and creating environments they can thrive in, we ensure that we have a talent pool that looks at client problems from very different perspectives — perspectives they have formed based on their learnings, backgrounds, and experiences in life.”
Anjali Raghuvanshi, Chief People Officer & Senior Director, Business Innovation, Randstad India, says: “We also took intentional steps like introducing equitable parental leaves, using more gender-neutral and gender-inclusive language among other progressive changes. Our next step is to open multiple channels of inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community for Randstad as well as for our talents and clients.”